RUN FOR YOUR WIFE
By Ray Cooney

Production Dates: 7th - 9th of June 2007.

Director & Producer: Bernard Godwin

Sadiq Khan, MP for Tooting said on his website:
“In the evening I had the pleasure of watching the Magdalene Players production of "Run for Your Wife". The Magdalene Players have been presenting amateur drama in St Mary Magdalene Church Hall in Wandsworth Common for a quarter of a century. The play was extremely entertaining and enjoyed by hundreds of local people across three nights.”

Synopsis
In Ray Cooney’s record breaking farce Run For Your Wife John Smith is a London Cabbie with his own taxi, a wife in Streatham, a wife in Wimbledon – and a knife-edge schedule! By strict adherence to this schedule, he has been a successful, if tired, bigamist for three years, but one day, gallantly intervening in a mugging, he is taken to hospital with mild concussion. In the ensuing complications, aided by the unwilling Stanley, John tries bravely to cope with a succession of well-meaning but prying policemen, the press, two increasingly irate wives and a very gay neighbour, until he manfully confesses the truth – but no-one believes him! This is probably the funniest farce to be written during the past twenty five years. It has terrific pace and a single set showing John’s two homes, and wives, at the same time.

A Message from Ray Cooney "I'm delighted to hear that the Magadalene Players are producing "Run for Your Wife". I can't beleive that it's almost 25 years since the first try-out production at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guliford. I just hope that you enjoy your performance as much as I did in 1982." "It's a real team play and I think you'll all find it brings a wonderful feeling of "togetherness" to the company. Please give my fond best wishes to everybody - and enjoy. Yours Ray"

Cast Mary Smith Lucy Godwin Barbara Smith Lucy Gray John Smith Nick Comlay Detective Sergant Troughton Guy Johnson Stanley Gardener Aidan Godwin Newspaper reporter Allan Grace Detective Sergeant Porterhouse Nigel Gray Bobby Franklyn Dan Hewitt Production Team Director & Producer Bernard Godwin Box Office Pat & Lou Crosswell Costumes Laura Baker Design Edward B Groinn Front of House Jane Cooper Lighting & Sound Richard Grogan Poster & Program Design Bernard Godwin Production Photos Nigel Gray Photography Prompt Maggie Savill Props Sarah Bell Publicity Pat Wilson Set Built by Nigel Gray, Claire Roberts, Mike Rowe and members of the company Stage Manager Paul Hickey Deputy Stage Manager Allan Grace Bar Manager John Savill

More Photos (click to enlarge)

Review of Run for Your Wife
by Humphrey Waterhouse

What a fabulous show! It was obvious from the start that Bernard Godwin had picked an excellent cast, and author Ray Cooney's comments in his letter to the Mag Players about his farce being a "team play" and "bringing a wonderful feeling of togetherness to the company" were brilliantly borne out under Bernard's direction. Not only did it result in one of the best Mag productions I've seen, it also epitomised the essence of amateur theatre - a close-knit group bringing joy and laughter to friends and family.

Ray Cooney's 25-year old comic masterpiece does not seem to aged in the slightest, although the beautifully and cleverly designed set conveyed its eighties origins perfectly. The cast delivered their lines with terrific pace and energy, so vital to farce; perhaps more importantly, they also carried out the most amazing number of door-slamming, phone-banging stage directions with perfect precision. Timing was immaculate, and the combination was devastatingly funny - Aidan Godwin's "handbag" line after a nifty sofa summersault brought the house down and is a moment which will stay in the memory forever.

But every single member of the cast gave outstanding performances; Nick Comlay, Aidan Godwin, Lucy Gray, Lucy Godwin, Guy Johnson, Nigel Gray and Dan Hewitt (and don't forget Allan Grace's reporter!) are to be heartily congratulated. Without wanting to detract from the others, I can't help commenting on Nick Comlay's fantastic cabbie; he managed to make so much of what is only an "ordinary" character, being on-stage almost continuously, and yet always working in complete harmony with the rest of the team - he made it look so easy, but you could see the sweat!

The extended rehearsal schedule obviously helped the production, but even so a few extra rehearsals might have counted for nothing without the hard work so obviously put in by the team - and they clearly had a lot of fun too. So polished was the show that the inevitable odd technical glitch and dropped line were dealt with confidently, and the pace was never allowed to slacken. Ray Cooney talks of the "technique, stamina, precision, and dexterity" required to act farce; all were evident in abundance here. More importantly he said the actors "must have generosity of spirit", and that perfectly describes how they succeeded in translating their hard work into the warm and happy feeling which was running through the audience.

Congratulations too to all the unseen heroes working behind the scenes on backstage (Paul Hickey), lights and sound (Richard Grogan), costume (Laura Baker), box office (Pat & Lou Crosswell), bar (John Savill), prompt (Maggie Savill), props (Sarah Bell), front of house (Jane Cooper), promotion (Pat Wilson), and of course set design and construction (not forgetting the elusive "Edward B Groinn").

All in all a hugely enjoyable evening, and a tribute to the fun and friendly group which is the Magdalene Players.